This weekend got off to an exciting start as I joined the UB Wildlife Conservation Society for an outdoor retreat. Or rather, a typical start as the bus didn't get moving until two hours after the intended departure time. The weekend fee was an astonishingly cheap 35 Pula, covering transport, meals, and accommodation. The destination was the Gaborone Game Reserve, a short 10 minute drive from the university campus. After unloading supplies at the camp site, I set off on an evening walk with a few other students. Generally, the reserve is a driving only attraction (despite the lack of predators), but we barely had to stray far before encountering a huge herd of Impala and the comical profile of Guinea Fowl charging across the road. A dinner of rice and stew welcomed us back to camp where the enormous communal cooking pot was straight out of Hansel and Gretel. The atmosphere around the fire was comical and boisterous. A number of the society members were well on their way through a cooler of drinks, yet surprisingly still amiable to be around. At least for the first few hours. Along with the other seven international students, I turned it in around midnight. A dusty old relic of a circus tent was to be our temple of rest. Featuring a complete lack of ventilation and no floor to insure that all thirty occupants, once covered in a sufficient layer of rusty dirt, would spend the whole night sweating. Not that I was going to get much sleep anyway. Painfully loud conversations (more akin to friendly shouting matches) carried on well past four in the morning. Along with some strange singing. And then the breakfast crew awoke at 5:30am to start preparing the morning meal. Result: no sleep. However, an early walk uncovered a herd of Zebra, several Kudu, Warthogs, a group of Ostriches, Monkeys, and...best of all...a whole handful of Dung Beetles rolling their precious cargo down the road. Stopping for a moment on a huge rock slab it was easy to soak in the surroundings and the exotic sounds echoing from the forest. We started the day off right (or wrong, depending on your food preferences) with Fat Cakes, a traditional breakfast food of yeasty dough rolled into circles and fried. Next on the agenda was a Society meeting. Perhaps the most ridiculous, pointless, polite, repetitive, structured meeting I've ever had to sit through on no sleep. Bewildered? So was I. Though I hate to use such a cop out, it really was something you had to experience for yourself. Suffice to say, a stuffed antelope specimen was sitting on the front table, rear pointed towards the audience; the meeting coordinator had a stopwatch and whistle; several society members still had beers in hand; the room smelled of formaldehyde; yet individuals stood up and used formal addresses before passing comment or stating an argument, and guest speakers had been invited. Bizarre. Lunch afterwards featured Pap, a maize meal quite like porridge. And of course, more drinks. For the first time, I tried my hand at Jungle Speed. If you've ever played the card game Spoons, you will understand why several of use walked away with welts and scratches on our hands. All in the pursuit of victory. The afternoon was filled with more socializing and finally a bry that served up enormous hunks of meat. People here sure like their beef. Several new arrivals brought the total group number to almost fifty. With the prospect of another sleepless night in store (amid even more sweaty bodies), I caught a ride back to campus with the international students. A cool welcome awaited, thanks to my room fan.
Conclusion: Yes, I would definitely do it again. Apart from a lack of sleep, the excursion was a great experience, the beginning of new friendships and also a sense of belonging within the UB Wildlife and Conservation Society.As well, I came away from the weekend having mastered the three part Botswana handshake, and being christened with a Setswana name. Kitso, meaning knowledge.
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